Chapter Eight:
Brennan grabbed Booth's hand, startling him slightly. "Booth do you see her?" Brennan whispered. She didn't want to tear her eyes away from her daughter.
"Yeah, Bones, I do." He replied back. "How can you be completely sure?"
"She has the same birthmark, the little strawberry birthmark on her temple. I used to kiss it every night." Brennan told her partner. "I never really believed that a woman could recognize their children after all the years of separation, but it really is possible." Brennan got up.
"Bones, where are you going?" Booth hissed.
"I'm going to get my daughter!" She exclaimed.
"Bones, you can't just march over there and grab her, it would technically be kidnapping." Booth explained to her. "You would be snatching a little girl from everything she knows." He saw the pain in her eyes. "We are going to get her back, I promise you. It just has to be the legal way."
She sighed, knowing that he was right. Brennan watched her daughter join the ballet group. "Booth, we have to go question the class, for the case. The only link right now is that the girls went to ballet class in the same area."
Booth nodded getting up from his spot. Parker spotted his father and waved giving him a cheeky smile. Booth waved back knowing watching him. He turned and helped Bones down from the bleachers and made his way across the gym to where the ballet class was getting started.
Booth pulled out his badge and made the formal introductions. "I am Special Agent Seeley Booth and this is my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan."
"I'm Maya Klutzskaya, the dance instructor of the 2-4 year old class." She answered back. "May I say, Dr. Brennan, I have been a fan of your works for awhile. May I say you have perfect structure to be a ballerina."
Brennan smiled, watching Elizabeth at the ballet bar. "I took ballet when I was about this age. I was in the Swan Lake when I was five. I used to want to be a ballerina, but then my father gave me a chemistry set and I knew that science was my real love."
"So, what can I do for you guys today?" She asked. She turned around, "Start your warm up while I talk to the grownups."
Booth handed her the pictures of Sharon and McKenna, "Have you seen these girls around these parts?"
"Sharon and McKenna take ballet together. Sharon is Amy's older sister. I instructed both of them a couple of years ago. Were the children found them?"
Booth nodded his head. "We don't want it to get around. We are trying to figure out what has happened first."
All Booth knew was that the girls were reported missing at separate times. Sharon had disappeared first and McKenna had disappeared second. The local police had launched an all out man hunt for the girls, however they hadn't been found. Then almost two months later, the bodies were found fairly close to where they had been spending most of their time. Something didn't add up about the case.
"Please do. I worry about the safety of my girls." The dance instructor told them.
"Is there a place where we can get the roster of the children, their parents, and the employees of Long Creek Park? Booth inquired.
"At the front office, however it has already closed for the day. All that is left is the barebones staff, and we don't have access to that." She answered him.
Brennan stood there, listening but not really listening. She was watching Elizabeth warming up. She heard the karate class get finished with their lesson and heard Parker running up behind her. Parker tossed his book bag on the ground and he jumped into Booth's arms.
"Daddy, what are you doing here?" He squealed.
"Well Bub, Bones and I are here working," Parker's face fell a bit, "But we are done now and we are going to go out for dinner."
Parker held his arms out to Brennan and Booth passed him over. "Bones, did you see me? Do you think I will ever be a black belt like you and Dad?" Parker asked yawning, the karate class had worn him out.
"I really do Bub." Brennan answered him. Brennan threw one last look at her daughter as she walked out with Booth.
"Don't worry Bones, we will get her back." Booth told her. It was almost as if he was reading her mind.
"How Booth?" She asked. Parker had passed out on her shoulder and was now drooling on her jacket. Booth smiled sheepishly at her.
"I'll pay to have that dry cleaned." He whispered taking his sleeping son from her and strapping him in the seat. "We will call Caroline when we get the chance tomorrow to figure out what your legal options are for laying claim to Elizabeth."
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Brennan woke up to the sound of Parker Booth running around her apartment and her partner and Caroline Julian speaking softly telling him to calm down.
"Daddy, do you think Bones will let me play the WII?" Parker asked impatiently.
"Sure I will Parker?" Brennan reached into the drawer and handed Parker the controller. She had bought the game system so he would have something to do when his father was working over at her place.
"Sorry Bones. I was trying to keep him quiet." Booth said apologetically. "He had a teacher's workday with it being election day. Rosa will come get him in an hour."
"Cherie, Booth called me last night and we did some digging about your little girl's case. You say she was kidnapped in Mexico and that your boyfriend made the positive ID and that a death certificate was issued, correct?" Caroline asked getting the facts straight.
"Yes. Ethan identified an infants body as Elizabeth's. The Mexican officials closed the case and gave me a death certificate." Brennan walked over to a bookshelf and pulled down a silver casing. She handed the casing to Caroline and she opened it. Booth saw the birth certificate, Brennan had signed in the mother's place and the father's signature was illegible. Elizabeth Eva Brennan - Born May 1, 2004. Then there was a certificate of death, dated November 1, 2004.
Brennan poured each one of them a cup of coffee and then handed Parker his glass of juice. "Where do I stand Caroline?"
"Well, first we have to exhume the body that was buried in place of Elizabeth's and confirm it is indeed another woman's child. Then we have to petition the court based on evidence that this kidnapping crossed international lines to have the case shuttled to the FBI, and then get court ordered DNA testing done on the child." Caroline explained. "After that we will petition for custody, and you should have your child back in no time. Piece of cake."
"I have already started on the exhumation of the grave with the Mexican officials stating it was urgent for this case." Booth explained. "The remains should be at the Jeffersonian this afternoon."
"How did you get it started so quickly?" Brennan asked him, grateful that Booth took care of that for her.
"I know a guy who owes me a favor down there." He answered. "Oh, I also brought you your favorite breakfast." He held up to bag, offering Brennan her cranberry muffin. She smiled taking it from him.
"Thanks Booth. I'm going to go take a shower so we can get started on our day."
"You would walk through fire for her, wouldn't you Booth?" Caroline questioned him, watching him gaze at his partner as she walked away.
"I would, or die trying." He answered earnestly.
Caroline smiled at him grabbing her coat putting it on quickly. "Friends my ass." She muttered underneath her breath. Booth caught what she said and chose to ignore the comment. "You may have to be there for her when the DNA analysis comes back Booth. There might always be a chance that this isn't her little girl. The judge may not even allow this."
"Oh, he will. Just get Judge Winterborne. I served with his son in the army and brought his body back home to him. Just tell him the Seeley really needs him to go with him on this one. He will understand." Booth said. He knew when all was said and done, he would have used up all the favors that he ever collected, but it would all be worth it when Elizabeth was finally home.
AN: You know the drill: read and review. The more reviews I get for the story, the more I write for the story - so other stories get put on the back burner based on demand of story.
Oh - I know nothing about the law, so I may be quite wrong when it comes to that part. Also I don't know where this is leading, I kinda know but not really. Do we want a custody battle, do we want the adoptive parents tied in with the crimes that are going on in the story? You tell me! Thanks for reading.
